Late Christmas Present
by ArenLuxon
Summary: Dumbledore gets a late Christmas present.


"What do you see when you look in the mirror?" Harry asked.

"Me?" Dumbledore looked surprised. "I see myself. Myself, holding a pair of thick, woolen socks."

Harry stared at him. It took him a couple seconds to realise Dumbledore was dead serious. But even then, he had no idea how to reply to it.

"One can never have enough socks," Dumbledore added. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books." He added a smile, however, it never reached his eyes. There was none of the usual twinkle there.

Harry hesitated. Should he press on?

The silence lingered.

"You don't believe me?" Dumbledore asked.

"No I do," Harry quickly said. "It's just… I feel like there is more to this story."

Their eyes locked.

Dumbledore's eyes were piercing blue. Literally piercing. It felt like they were staring right through Harry.

"Did anyone ever tell you you look a lot like your mother?" Dumbledore asked.

"No," Harry said. "Everyone says I look like my father. Well, except for my eyes."

"You are more like her than you know," Dumbledore said. "Perhaps in time, you'll come to see just how much."

"You knew my mother," Harry said. He tried to make it sound like it wasn't an accusation, but was only moderately successful.

There was a short pause. Then…

"Let me answer both of your questions at once," Dumbledore said. "The reason I see socks in the mirror, is because someone very dear to me used to knit socks for me every Christmas. There is only one person I ever told that story to."

"My mother?"

"Yes. She had a habit of making people tell their stories to her, even if they didn't want to. Or maybe they didn't know just how much they needed to tell their story. Your mom believed that words are our most inexhaustible source of magic."

Harry frowned. "She said that?"

"Something to that effect."

"I see."

"After she heard about the socks, I got a Christmas present from Lily every year. Socks. Dark blue socks with yellow stars. Exactly like the final pair Ar- uhum, that person gave me that last Christmas. Back then, I didn't know how much it meant of course. I wore them for a very long time, but eventually, they got so ragged that… well, they are ruined."

"But couldn't you fix them with magic?" Harry asked.

"There is a place for magic," Dumbledore said. "This isn't it."

Again, Harry didn't know what to say.

If only there was something he could do.

He looked down in defe-

Wait a second.

Harry grabbed the edge of his emerald green Weasley sweater.

Of course.

"I should get to bed," he said, trying to contain the excitement in his voice.

"Indeed," Dumbledore agreed.

Harry put on his cloak and hurried back to the Gryffindor common room.

Everyone was fast asleep. Even Scabbers, who had decided to claim Harry's pillow as a bed. But he could deal with that later.

Harry shook Ron awake. "Ron. Wake up."

"Huh?" Ron's eyes fluttered open.

"I need to ask you a favor."

"Me too," Ron said. "Let me go back to sleep."

"It's important."

Ron sighed. "Fine, what is it?"

"Can your mom knit socks as well?"

"Well she-"

"Harry? Harry?"

"Huh?" Harry looked up. A familiar girl was looking at him. "L-Luna?"

"Sorry," she said. "I just interrupted a very deep thought, didn't I?"

"Ah no. It's… just a memory."

Had it already been seven years? It felt just like yesterday.

"For a moment I thought the Nargles had gotten you," she said.

Harry couldn't help but smile. "No, not yet."

Then, he pulled his eyes away from her and the smile vanished.

He was gone.

Luna turned to look at Dumbledore's tomb as well.

Neither of them said a word. Luna's hand found his. It was freezing cold outside, and yet her hand felt warm.

"I miss him too," Luna eventually spoke.

Harry said nothing. He just stared at Dumbledore's grave.

They were not looking at each other. But because they were looking at the same thing, it somehow felt like they were.

"He would have liked what you did," Luna said.

Harry frowned. He turned back to her. "Defeating Voldemort?"

"What? No, not that. I meant inviting everyone over for Christmas here at Hogwarts."

"Oh. Well McGonagall is the one who-"

"Only because you asked her to."

"Well there are people who don't have a family to celebrate Christmas with," Harry said.

If only he had gotten the Horcruxes sooner, things might have turned out differently. And maybe some of those people wouldn't be here.

"Anyway," Harry continued. "I'll go back inside before they start missing me. There is just one more thing I have to do."

He let go of her hand and stepped forward. From his robes, he pulled out a pair of blue socks.

Harry put them on the tomb.

"Merry Christmas," he whispered.

He lingered a moment longer and then walked back to Luna.

She didn't ask, but he replied anyway.

"It's so weird. I give Dumbledore socks every year, but he never said anything about it. But he must have known they came from me. I started to think that maybe he hadn't answered the question honestly."

"He did," Luna said, as if she knew what the hell he was talking about. "I don't think Dumbledore ever lied. To anyone."

"Something you have in common," Harry noted.

"Yeah."

"But why didn't he ever say anything?" Harry insisted.

"Maybe he thought they were coming from someone else?" Luna suggested.

"There is no one else."

"Maybe he _hoped_ they were coming from someone else?"

Harry opened his mouth, but no words came out, so he closed it again.

Luna was probably right.

"Do you want to go back?" she asked.

"Yeah. Let's go."

"Not that way." Luna took his hand and pulled him the other way.

"But this isn't the way back," Harry argued.

"Yes, but someone is coming."

Harry turned. She was right. There was someone coming at them. It was too far and misty to see who it was though.

"Hold on, I've got the cloak with me."

Harry pulled it out and covered both of them. They basically had to embrace each other to stay under it. The time where they could hide with three people under the cloak with room to spare was long gone.

"Such an interesting cloak," Luna commented in her dreamy voice. As if she regularly hid beneath his invisibility cloak.

Harry decided not to tell her it was a Deathly Hallow. Besides, it was already difficult to focus in Luna's embrace. And while the cloak hid them, it did not stop any noise they made.

Harry slowly turned around so he could see the stranger.

Still too far away.

Could it be a Deatheater?

Despite their best efforts, not all of them were captured after Voldemort died. A few still roamed the lands. And some were eager for revenge.

Harry fumbled for his wand. It was in his pocket, but the robes were in the way.

Harry pulled them away. Stupid-

"Harry," Luna whispered. "Now is a bit…"

"Huh?"

It took him a second to notice. As it turned out, their robes had gotten entangled and when he pulled on what he thought was his robe, he was in fact pulling on hers. And because of that, it had started to slip down her shoulder. Basically, it looked like he was trying to undress her.

"I… I wasn't…"  
Harry reflexively stepped back. However, his foot found the invisibility cloak. This caused him to trip and fall backwards. Luna was still holding him, so she was dragged down with Harry. She fell right on top of him. All air was forced from his lungs.

Harry groaned.

"Shh," Luna shushed him.

He could clearly hear the footsteps now.

The stranger was here.

"We're covered," Luna whispered. "Just lay still."

"I will if you move your knee."

"Oh, sorry."

She moved it.

He let out a breath of relief.

The footsteps stopped. Harry checked, but Luna was right. The cloak was still covering them.

He craned his head to the side so he could look over Luna's shoulder.

It wasn't a Deatheater after all.

It was Aberforth.

What was he doing here?

Aberforth looked around. "I was certain I heard something," he mumbled.

After a few more seconds, he shrugged.

Aberforth reached into his robes and pulled out…

What the…

Harry swallowed hard.

Aberforth had pulled out a pair of blue socks. Blue, with little yellow stars.

He approached the tomb, and then froze. Probably because he had noticed there was already a pair of blue socks there.

"A-Ariana?"

There was no reply.

"Have you… have you forgiven him?" Aberforth asked.

Complete silence. Harry and Luna both held their breath.

"Well," Aberforth said. "If she's forgiven you then I guess I'll have to do the same."

He closed the remaining distance and very carefully put the socks right next to the other ones on the tomb.

"Merry Christmas, Albus."


End file.
